Seventy years of the West Indian Community Association and fifty of carnival.
Seventy Years Together
In 1955 a small number of migrants from the Caribbean in Derby decided they needed a group of their own to support one another. Six years later it became formally constituted as the Derby West Indian Community Association, and it has been at the centre of the city's Caribbean life ever since, with its home on Carrington Street.
Charles Hill was there at the start, a founder member in 1955 and vice president in 1961, and was the guest of honour at the association's sixtieth anniversary lunch. George Mighty, known as Mr Mighty, has chaired it for decades.
Derby Caribbean Carnival
The association's most visible work is the Derby Caribbean Carnival, which began in 1975 and is now one of the longest-running celebrations of Caribbean culture in the UK. Its procession through the city ends in a party at Osmaston Park, and on 20 July 2025 Derby marked the carnival's fiftieth year.
Culture And Legacy
From April 2022 to November 2023 Derby Museum and Art Gallery told the association's story in Derby West Indian Community Association: Culture and Legacy. The exhibition gathered the Windrush generation's memories, the experiences of younger members growing up in Derby and the colour and music of carnival, and showed how the association has come through six decades with a long list of social, cultural, educational and sporting achievements.
Black Derby Today
The association's work spans sport, education, culture and community life, and generations of Derby families have grown up with it. Black-owned food spots, barbers, salons and brands are part of everyday Derby.
Shop Black-owned businesses in Derby on CashBlack.
Photo Credits
The Derby Caribbean Carnival on Normanton Road, 2025. Photo: Doyle of London, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Photo: Aethonatic, CC0, Wikimedia Commons